Overview
- Mervyn Kersh receives a British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours for his talks on Holocaust remembrance and his wartime service.
- He says Britain is disappointing today and voices alarm about rising antisemitism, noting his outreach does not always change minds.
- He likens some present-day leaders to Neville Chamberlain, warns of repeating pre‑WWII mistakes, and argues defence should be the top budget priority as Russia threatens the West.
- Kersh served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, landed in Normandy three days after D‑Day at age 19, and was stationed near Bergen‑Belsen during its liberation in April 1945.
- His recognition comes as 1,157 people are honoured for community service, including recipients such as cookery-school founder Ryan Riley and prison chess volunteer Carl Portman.